The World Test Championship final between June 7 and June 11 will see Team India taking on Australia, making it one of the greatest matches of the 2023 cricket season. India will compete for the coveted championship for the second time in a row in the final, which will take place at the Oval in England; they lost to New Zealand in the first final in 2021. Rohit Sharma's team will be looking to move beyond the final agony from two years ago next month. India had qualified for the final after winning a home series against the Aussies earlier this year.
When discussing India's possibilities and likely lineup for the “ultimate Test,” former head coach Ravi Shastri, who was in charge of the WTC championship match versus New Zealand, gave an intriguing proposal about the team's bowling setup. Jasprit Bumrah, India's premier pacer, was unable to travel with them for the championship game, therefore Shastri hypothesised that the team's management could be more likely to play two spinners.
“India performed well in England the last time around because you had Bumrah, Shami, Shardul Thakur, and Mohammed Siraj. You thus had four quick bowlers. One of them, Shardul, is an all-around player,” Shastri said in the ICC Review.
In England, that mix works very well. especially from the perspective of India. Someone like Rohit Sharma can much more effectively manage the game thanks to it. In England, you may need to go more slowly. And then it can suddenly get cloudy.
“You have horses for different purposes, and you have all the bases covered. But what if the quality of your fast-bowling assault is poor? Ashwin and Jadeja are both excellent spinners, so you play them if you believe the players are older, slower than they ever were, and their form is a bit iffy, according to Shastri.
Axar Patel, who can replace Jadeja like-for-like if necessary, joins No. 1 rated all-rounder Ashwin and Jadeja in the 15-player roster as India's third spin option. If the wicket at The Oval seems to be offering some turn in the latter innings, Shastri believes India has the option of choosing Ashwin as their lone specialist spinner and using Jadeja to bat at No. 6.
“You would definitely want two spinners to play if the course was dry and firm. I believe it has a lot to do with the English climate. I think the weather is bright right now, but you know how the English weather can change in June, Shastri added.
Therefore, there is a very strong likelihood that India will field an all-rounder, two fast bowlers, and two spinners. The mixture will be that. There will therefore be six batters—five batsmen plus the wicketkeeper.
This would be my combo if everything at The Oval remains as it should, but you need to be of a certain calibre to be able to beat those men off of the park.
